Essex St
by Zivandre
Summary: Hermione Granger heads down under to find her parents, however, unexpected help finds her way when she is lost.


_**This is written for The Golden Snitch!**_

 _ **I'm in South, Castelobruxo!**_

 _ **Around The World Challenge: Write about Hermione Granger finding her parents and incorporate five Australian terms into the story. [I used seven.]**_

 _ **I'm on a team with Dessie: Desertredwolf, and we are the South Side Vipers!**_

 _ **Terms: G'Day-Good day, Roo Bar- A bar that goes on the front of a vehicle in case you hit a kangaroo, Pommie- Englishman/woman, Boozer- Pub, Durry- Cigarette, Thongs - Flip flops, Not the full quid- Not that bright,**_

 _ **~oOoOoOo~**_

Hermione Granger stepped out of the International Floo at the Australian Ministry of Magic. Swishing her wand upon her clothes, she whispered a quick _Tergio,_ and magically removed the soot from her clothes.

She noticed the appropriate desk to check in, and after getting her wand and name cleared, Hermione was soon led out of the building and into the Muggle streets outside.

The Sydney air was a chilly in the late June weather, so she bundled her scarf against the wind before heading to the address on the slip of paper in her hand.

During the war, Hermione had urged her parents to leave England and settle down into a new life, under new names, in Sydney, Australia. Luckily, they had done so, albeit a bit reluctantly. To cover her and her parents tracks, she had to lie to her friends, and surrogate family, however, and told them they had been obliviated.

She had hated lying to her friends, but she couldn't bring herself to erase her parents memories of her, especially with a spell that is highly dangerous and has a chance of backfiring - resulting in the memories to never be retrieved again.

However, she knew she had made the right decision. She just couldn't help being upset that her two best friends, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley, were peeved at her about it. They were still angry at her, nearly a month after the war had ended, which had resulted in Hermione making her way to Australia herself. She missed her parents terribly.

Her parents, Richard and Jean Granger, had changed their names to Wendell and Monika Wilkins, respectively. Being Dentists, they had quickly set up their own dental practice on the outskirts of Sydney, and their business had apparently flourished during the year they were here.

Realizing that she should be a street away by now, Hermione rebundled her outerwear and hurried her steps. However, when she reached the corner, she noticed that the street was full of pubs, with a few drunk people wandering the streets.

Slipping her hand around the handle of her wand, Hermione set off down the street to walk into the nicest pub to ask for directions.

Pushing open the door, she was met with low lighting and she could make out some rock music playing quietly in the background. Hermione noticed a few men look her way, but not letting them deter her, she made her way to the counter.

"G'day, what can I get ya' miss?" asked the Bartender.

"Hello, I was wondering if you could tell me how to get too Essex St.?" replied Hermione.

"Ahh, that's a bit of a ways away. Howard, come off it and come here!" he waited until Howard got to them before, asking him to give directions to Essex.

"Pommie, are ya? It'd be easier to give you a lift over," stated Howard in a thick Australian accent. "No worries, pretty lady, it's about 15 minutes over."

Deciding it would be quicker to get a ride instead of walking, Hermione agreed.

"Let me just grab my thongs, and I'll walk ya' out."

Hermione immediately pictured him grabbing a pair of lady's underwear, and felt a large blush crawl up her face as she realized he only meant slippers. Nevermind why he was barefoot in the first place… Coming back, Howard led her out the back of the pub before leading her over to a large truck.

"What's this?" asked Hermione, pointing to a large black framework on the front of the truck.

"Ah, that's a roo bar. Prevents your ride getting messed with if you happen to hit a kangaroo."

"Thats… That's awful!" she protested.

"That's life, girlie," Howard said bluntly. Stunned, Hermione climbed up into the passenger side and hoped no kangaroos would be unlucky to cross their path. Even if she was hoping to see one while she was down under.

"What brought you to the boozer to get directions?" he asked, his tone a bit more polite.

"Boozer? The pub? It was the closest place honestly. Didn't want to get too lost down here," she answered.

"What brings you down here anyways? Mind if I light a durry?" he added on.

"Um, yeah, that's fine. I'm visiting my parents, surprising them honestly. They have no idea I'm coming."

Silence ticked on, and she realized that a durry was a fag. Thankfully, he rolled down the windows so the thick tobacco stench didn't bother her too much.

"Where at on Essex do you need to be dropped at?" he asked.

"Wilkins Dentistry. Thank you, by the way," replied Hermione.

"Are your parents Monika and Wendell? I didn't know they had a kid! Wen comes down to the boozer plenty!"

They turned down Essex, and a large white building with lush, green grass sat in the middle. Large black letters across the top stated the place of business, and a rounded sign sat close to the walkway.

Howard pulled into the small parking lot, and hurried to open Hermione's door. When she was fully out, he led her up to the stark glass doors and stopped her before they entered the building.

"Do you mind if I help surprise them? I like taking the piss out of them, and this seems perfect. Go along with it, yeah?"

Hermione, more worried about seeing her parents, agreed to let him have some fun. He quickly grabbed her hand, and led her inside.

The interior reminded Hermione a lot about their old practice: white seats, beige walls, tiled floors. There was a small children's area with a bit of colour, and books, and opposite the entry was a large desk. Howard led her up to the secretary and asked for Wendell, stating it was an emergency with a wink. Blushing, the slender woman headed into the back. Howard led Hermione over to the seats to wait, and it wasn't too long before Wendell and Monika came out.

"Aye, Wen! Monika! I'd like y'all to meet my fiance, we were just about to elope after we stopped by to see ya'!" said Howard with a serious voice.

"Who's the lucky lady?" asked Wendell.

Hermione, who had turned away from the doors, chose this moment to face her parents. She saw them both take a sharp breath of air in, before her mother started crying and her dad was deciding whether to hug his daughter or slap his friend.

"Mum, dad?" asked Hermione, breaking the silence.

"Ah, not the full quid, either of ya' are!" laughed Howard.

"He's joking, obviously. Well, are both of you okay? I'm not a ghost, you know!" said Hermione before she stood to hug her parents.

"I swear, if you weren't taking the mickey out of me, you'd be grounded for a year young lady!" stated her mother, who got over her shock first. Hurriedly, she grabbed Hermione round the waist and hugged as tight as she could.

She had finally got her parents back, now, she just had to get them back to England.


End file.
